Good News Notes: “From filters to bags to balls, the number of products aimed at stopping the torrent of microplastic fibres being flushed out of washing machines and into rivers and oceans is increasing rapidly. Grundig recently became the first appliance manufacturer to integrate a microfibre filter into a washing machine, while a British company…
Category: ocean
Ford Takes Giant Baby Step On Recycled Plastic
Good News Notes: “Ford has just introduced a new car part made from recovered fishing nets, or “ghost gear,” and the company is billing it as the first ever use of recycled plastic from the ocean by the auto industry. That’s sure to catch the attention of other automakers eager to make an impression on…
Meet the Siblings Fighting Plastic Pollution
Good News Notes: “Can you both tell us about your organization, Hidden Plastic, and what inspired you to start an environmental initiative? Zara: Hidden Plastic educates people through a series of dark comedy videos on some of the problems, but also solutions, to the global micro-plastics issue. We started our journey in the summer of 2020 when…
Boat owners use drones to create global database on plastic pollution
Good News Notes: “AnimaMundi Ocean Data Solutions, DJI and Lagoon are using drones to build a comprehensive database of plastic waste on coastlines throughout the world. AnimaMundi is a not-for-profit organization based in Geneva, Switzerland. Its proprietary technology interprets photo and video records to extract a single-use plastic bottle count. The information can be captured via an app using…
ABB helps Zume offer compostable food trays
Good News Notes: “Switzerland-based ABB Robotics says it has signed an agreement to collaborate with California-based packaging maker Zume to supply robotic cells designed to boost Zume’s production of what Zume calls 100 percent compostable packaging “made from plant-based agricultural material.” “ABB robots will automate production, enabling the scale and speed required to make Zume’s…
Mammoth Tusk Found on Ocean Floor Offers Clues About Ancient Creatures
Good News Notes: “To the untrained eye, it may have looked like a giant wood log. In reality, scientists had spotted something unusual off the California coast two years ago: a 3-foot-long mammoth tusk. A research team at the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute discovered the tusk in 2019 while exploring an underwater mountain roughly…
The moral case for destroying fossil fuel infrastructure
Good News Notes: “Take France, whose president poses as the most enlightened climate diplomat. The largest private company headquartered in that nation, Total, will this year commence construction of the East Africa Crude Oil Pipeline, slated to be the longest in the world, cross 230 rivers, bisect 12 forest reserves and drive 100,000 people from their…
Police video shows dramatic rescue after plane crash off Tampa
Good News Notes: “ A dramatic rescue went down on Monday morning off the coast of Florida and it was caught on police video. According to a Facebook post from the Tampa Police Department, a small plane crashed into the water near Davis Island soon after taking off from Peter O. Knight Airport. Aviation pilots…
The US finally adopts a national recycling strategy
Good News Notes: “The Environmental Protection Agency announced a new national recycling strategy today, the agency’s first ever such commitment, according to the Washington Post. It’s a roadmap for the US to achieve a goal of recycling at least half of its municipal waste by the end of the decade. That’s a steep rise considering the US’ recycling rate has actually…
Newly Discovered Symbiosis Could Power Carbon Removal in The Sea
Good News Notes: “Tropical rainforests are often called the lungs of our planet, sucking vast amounts of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and puffing out oxygen in exchange. As it turns out, however, there are even bigger lungs in our oceans. Seagrass meadows are vast fields of underwater plants capable of capturing carbon 35 times faster than tropical…